SkunkyArt | Hannah--Bug — Undercover Map

Overview: Undercover is a swampy area. Much of the ground is wet and riddled with ponds, creeks, and the like. The majority of the trees there consist of weeping willow types and a groundcover that looks similar to pine branches sprawls wherever it can. A near-constant fog lingers, sometimes even obscuring the sky. The town's location itself is its own sort of valley, surrounded by hills with a crevice between two cliffs leading inward. This isn't usually a place your average adventurer goes. Like Uptree, they're very wary of predators coming up from the nearby pine forest. Occupants tend to be untrusting and often speak of ghosts or the area being haunted. There's a "I shouldn't be here" feeling in the air

1: Cliff walks: Outposts for scouts along the cliffs leading into town, with shelter made from woven branches of nearby trees. Due to their altitude, these keke watch for anything undesirable entering the area that scouts on the ground might not be able to see due to the fog. They have a system of hand signs used to speak to scouts on the other side or otherwise far away as well as fires used to send smoke signals if need be

2: Scout tower: A tall building partially disguised as a tree that ground scouts use to watch for danger. They're vigilant for predators, as they could get stuck in Undercover's valley and cause havoc on the town. They're known to stop travelers and ask what they're doing out here, sort of like guards at a gate. Except...there isn't any gate. You could technically keep walking

3: Guardians' shelter: An outpost for guardians and a place for them to rest. It's positioned towards the cliffs so that they may quickly deal with any problems that are trying to enter town

4: Nursery: Undercover's nursery is positioned over a pond so that they can have a hatching pond as well as keep their young safely inside. This is less of a necessity, more of a show of distrust. Hatchlings are few, but those that live there enjoy the fact that their house is basically on top of a pool

5: Homes: Residencies of Undercover are often made with the pine-like groundcover, woven branches fallen from the nearby willows, and the ground itself. Mud is in no short supply and commonly used as an insulator

6: Life Wall: Branches from willows encouraged to grow abnormally long. These have been woven into a bush-like fence, propped up with the occasional pole. It's mostly just there to ease residents' minds about some sort of problem coming from the hills (where the Valley Effect it prevalent, as it's on the edge of the valley). These walls also help spread out extra water runoff, leading it towards existing ponds instead of into houses

7: Hall: An official-looking building in the heart of town. If an announcement is to be made, keke will be called here. It is also sometimes used as a town-wide shelter, a community center, or whatever else it needs to be

8: Art Library: An art center and a library contained in one building designed to keep the moisture off of papers and the like. Due to the shared space, the library doesn't have quite as much of a "shh!" atmosphere

9: Shops: Local shops and stores are loosely scattered around the town's main buildings. They disperse the town's food supply among other things, which majorly consists of foraged and imported items. Uptree is a common trading partner since they're close, making meat from predator dens more common

10: Knoll School: The school building, capable of teaching hatchlings and adults alike. Being disguised as a hill, it isn't uncommon for hatchlings not being able to find the place on their first day

11: Topple Tree: A large tree that's fallen under its own weight, but remains alive. Among the branches, a strangely shaped building houses local researchers, who keep an eye on the surrounding ecosystem (and make sure the Valley Effect on the edge of town isn't doing anything weird today)

12: Healer's building: A large sod building topped with especially long grasses. The healers in Undercover grow several herbs on their rooftop and are quite proud of themselves for coming up with the idea. While guardians often function as lifeguards around the water, healers will often patrol the town as well, keeping an eye out for any water-related health problems